Fear.
“Why would you want a place like this?” she asked. “The place is haunted, you know. A wicked lord lived here and his angry ghost still roams the grounds. Would you really want such a place?”
The man began to resume his slow advance on her; for every step he took forward, she took a step back.
“I know,” he said casually. “I’ve seen the ghost. We’ve all seen the ghost.”
Annalyla could see that her words hadn’t stopped him. They hadn’t even slowed him down. She was beginning to feel rain and she nervously glanced behind her only to see that the broken wall and the drop to the ground below were looming ever closer. She couldn’t go too much further without stopping unless she wanted to fall to her death. Panic began to overtake her again, but a strong sense of survival filled her veins.
“Do you know what the ghost is looking for?” she asked, chattering in an increasingly terrified tone. “An amulet. Something that belonged to his wife. That’s the legend – he and his wife were wrongly killed by villagers for a crime they did not commit. He roams this place looking for something he gave his wife.”
That didn’t slow the advance of the pirate. “We’ve seen him,” he said again. “He comes with the wind. But ’tis not enough tae keep me away, missy. I need Baiadepaura. Everyone knows the legend, so it keeps men away, and for what I must do, I dunna need men trying tae invade my privacy. Ye should have left when ye were given the chance.”
Annalyla blinked. “Given… given the chance?”
“When the old woman told ye tae leave.”
Her eyes widened. “Mawgwen!” she gasped. Suddenly, the old woman’s presence became clear and all of the things the woman had said made a great deal of sense. Of course she’d been trying to force them to leave; she’d been in league with the pirates! “You sent her here?”
The man nodded. “It ’twould be easier if ye chose tae leave on yer own,” he said. “But ye dinna.”
Annalyla felt more rain than ever, pelting her head and back, and she turned to see that she was at the end of her movement. She could go no further. Horror and tremendous sadness filled her, knowing that there was nothing more she could do. The pirate would soon be upon her and unless she wanted to jump, her only option was to fight him off.
Or die trying.
God help me.
“I am sorry that your castle has been taken away,” she said, her voice trembling. “But it never belonged to you. Mayhap, it truly belongs to no one but the ghost who roams the halls, but killing me won’t solve anything. It will not make this castle any more yours. If anything, it will bring more trouble upon you.”
That brought him to a halt. “Who says I’m going tae kill ye?” he said, his gaze drifting over her in a lewd manner. “I’m going tae take ye tae my ship and ye can warm my bed. Ye’re too fine tae kill, lady, as long as ye please me. And ye will please me.”
Bile rose in Annalyla’s throat. “I would rather be dead.”
He lifted a dark eyebrow. “That can be arranged, missy.”
He took a step in her direction but commotion at the door caught his attention. He turned to see a very large man in the doorway with a large dagger in his hand.
And hell followed with him.
Tenner had arrived.
The first thing he saw was Annalyla backed up against the ledge of the broken wall and terror filled him. Swollen ankle and all, he wasn’t going to let that stop him. But the unfortunate fact was that the pirate was closer to Annalyla than he was, and the man reached out to grab her. In Annalyla’s struggle to avoid being captured, she knocked herself off-balance and ended up clutching at the broken wall to keep from falling over the edge and into the dark abyss below.
It was Tenner’s worst nightmare. He limped across the floor, moving as quickly as he could, but the pirate made another swipe at Annalyla and she screamed. Tenner was certain he was either going to watch his wife being shoved to her death, or watch her bleed to death when her throat was slit by the pirate with a very large dagger. All he could see in the dim light was struggling, and a man threatening his wife, but his bad ankle was preventing him from moving any faster. When he was halfway across the chamber, water on the floor made him slip and he ended up crashing onto one knee. But he was up again, wielding his dagger, in time to see something that would change his life forever.
Something came between the pirate and Annalyla.
A mist.
Even with the driving rain coming through the broken roof, a mist was forming, taking on a faint shape. A man. Tenner hadn’t even realized he’d come to a halt, shocked to the bone as the mist enveloped the pirate and the man abruptly stumbled back. In fact, the pirate began to shriek and weep, waving his hands around as if trying to shove the mist away, but the mist only grew more dense.
An icy wind began to whip around the room, like a vortex, and Annalyla’s hair was whipped into a frenzy. She’d managed to recapture her balance, now leaning heavily against the broken wall as the pirate was driven back by the invading mist, pushed towards the edge of the broken wall with the three-story drop to the hard earth below.
Step by step, inch by inch, the pirate moved away from the mist, backwards, trying to fight it off, screaming that he was being choked. As Annalyla and Tenner watched in astonishment, the pirate took a misstep and plunged over the ledge.
Annalyla saw the man land on his head, and then he moved no more.
It was the most terrifying and shocking thing she’d ever seen but, suddenly, Tenner was beside her, his arms going around her as he pulled her away from the broken wall. Annalyla threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him as she realized she was finally safe.
It was over.
“Are you well?” Tenner asked, his voice trembling. “Did he hurt you?”
Annalyla shook her head. “Nay,” she said, pulling her face from the crook of his neck. “He did not hurt me. Are you well?”
He nodded, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. “I am well,” he said, ignoring his throbbing ankle. “All that matters to me is that you are unscathed. I…”
He abruptly trailed off as he caught sight of the mist over Annalyla’s shoulder and they both turned to see that the eerie form had not dissipated. It was still there, still lingering. As Tenner simply stood there, his uncertainty at what he was seeing overwhelming him, Annalyla knew exactly what she was seeing because she’d seen it before, earlier in the day. There was no fear, no terror in her heart.
She knew.
“Thank you,” she said to the mist. “You saved my life.”
The mist seemed to take on a more solid form and the shape of a man became more defined. The storm outside was easing somewhat, though it was still raining, and the clouds began to move enough so that the white moonlight was beginning to beam through.
Even more clearly now, they could see a man.
Annalyla couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She felt an overwhelming need to speak to the ghost because, for certain, this had been a day of discovery. She wondered if the ghost already knew what she had discovered. Was that why he had saved her life? Because he knew how hard she’d worked to find what he’d been looking for?
“I know what happened to you,” she said. “I read the hide that you left behind. You begged for mercy from the villagers who thought you brought a sickness upon them, but they killed you anyway. I do not know all of it, but I know now that there is some truth to the legend. The truth is that there was a sickness, and it is true that you were murdered because of it. But it is also true that you are not wicked. I am very sorry the villagers killed you and your Anyu. You were greatly wronged. But I think I have something that you are looking for.”
Gently, she pulled away from Tenner, who was reluctant to let her go. Digging into the pocket of her skirt, she pulled forth the twisted gold amulet, the horsehead that was barely discernable. She extended it to the ghost.
“I truly do not know if this is something you want, or if it was merely a
legend, but I found what I believe is the horsehead amulet you gave to your wife,” she said, holding the small piece up so that it glistened in the cold moonlight. “I was digging in the vault and I found it. I also found you. Or, at least, I believe it is you. My husband and I are going to ask the priests to give you a proper burial and I shall make sure this amulet is buried with you. I hope that makes you happy. I am so very sorry that you were wrongly killed, but I assure you, I will make sure you and this amulet are properly buried. Mayhap you and Anyu will finally find peace because of it.”
The ghost simply stood there, undulating in the moonlight, before moving in her direction. Behind her, she could feel Tenner stiffen.
“Annie…”
She could hear the hazard in his voice, fearful that the ghost that had just killed the pirate was now coming towards her. But she held up a hand to him, quieting him, and remained in place, unmoving as the ghost approached. The closer it came, the more defined it became, and they could see the distinct shape of a large man, a big head, and then a hand emerging from the mist. It reached out, touching the amulet as Annalyla held it aloft. A voice came again, like a whispered breath, and it blew past her ear.
Gratias.
And with that, it was gone, vanished as if it had never been there. Now, all that remained was the wind and the gentle rain, and moonbeams streaming down from the clouds. Annalyla and Tenner stood there a moment, unmoving and unspeaking, until Tenner finally broke the silence.
“Annie?”
“Aye?
“I… I heard it, too.”
Annalyla turned to look at him with tears in her eyes. “Did you truly?”
Tenner was pale, his eyes still wide with shock. “I did,” he said as if he couldn’t believe it. “I heard Gratias. He thanked you.”
Annalyla nodded and tears fell from her eyes. “I told you that I had seen him today, and that he’d spoken to me,” she whispered. “I did not lie.”
Reaching out, he pulled her against him, holding her tightly, never more grateful for anything in his life. As she sobbed softly, he kissed the top of her head, thinking on what he’d just witnessed.
He knew exactly what he’d seen.
So much for the logical man.
“He saved you,” he said, incredulity in his tone. “That… that ghost, that thing, saved your life. Had it not intervened, God only knows what would have happened. You were right all along, Annie. The Devil of Baiadepaura is not a devil, after all. In that one act of salvation, he destroyed two hundred years of rumor and legend.”
“But how will people know?” she wept.
“They will know because I am going to tell them. And if they think I’m mad… I do not care. I truly do not.”
Annalyla held him tighter. That was all the response he needed. Tenner always said he had to see to believe and, tonight, he’d seen. And he believed.
The Devil of Baiadepaura was real. And it was a devil no more.
That night, the men of the Beast of the Seas met with a far more skilled and better-armed English army, and within an hour of attacking Baiadepaura Castle, all but two of them were dead, including Raleigh and Alastair. The women were safe and the castle secure when, just before dawn, Tenner and Arlo, and twenty men dressed in some of the clothing they’d stolen from the pirates, return to Crackington Cove and took the skiffs out to the Beast of the Seas, moored out to sea and awaiting the return of her victorious crew.
But there was no victory to be had.
It took Tenner and his men all of ten minutes to secure the ship and wrangle the skeleton crew, and the ship itself was sailed up the coast only to dock below Baiadepaura on the dawn of a new, clear day. As the sun burst over the horizon and illuminated the wet and weary land, the ship was now a new possession of Tenner de Velt. The Beast of the Seas would eventually be re-christened The Devil of Baiadepaura and used to escort merchant ships along the Cornwall coast.
There was no more fearsome or proud sight.
But there was more. As promised, two days after the pirate attack on Baiadepaura, Tenner, Arlo, and Graham gathered all of the bone remnants they could find in the vault and put them into a chest along with the remains of the horsehead amulet. Since legend said that Faustus and Anyu were both burned, they could only assume that some of the bone fragments were Anyu’s, and Tenner and Annalyla, along with a small escort of soldiers, headed north into Bude, to the Church of St. Peter. There, they paid the priests handsomely to give the bones a Christian burial. In the years to come, they would return to the grave to pay their respects to Faustus de Paura and to thank him for his otherworldly role in saving Annalyla’s life.
As Tenner would say repeatedly, had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would have never believed it.
The skeptic was finally a believer.
Baiadepaura Castle was a peaceful place after that dark and stormy night. No more ghosts, no more unholy winds or howls. Faustus and Anyu had found peace, the conclusion to an ending that had been two hundred years in the making. It wasn’t exactly a happy ending for the pair, but they were together in the end and that was all that mattered. The castle became a serene place, and once fully rebuilt and restored, became the envy of every fighting man from Penzance to Cardiff, a magnificent garrison ruled by the fair but iron fist of Sir Tenner de Velt.
It was the stuff of legends.
Baiadepaura Castle became everything Tenner and Annalyla had ever hoped it would be, and legends of ghosts and curses soon faded from the vernacular of Cornwall. Baiadepaura was no longer called the Bay of Fear as it had been for so long. A new generation saw the hope and strength of the fortress, rebuilt by a de Velt, no less, and it soon took its place among the great and respectable castles of Cornwall, with a benevolent lord and lady to rule over it.
The Bay of Fear was no more.
EPILOGUE
One year later
It was a gentle rain that fell along the Cornwall coast, not one of the tempests that were so common to the area. This rain was more of a mist, wetting man and beast alike, but the men of Baiadepaura Castle moved through it as if it weren’t there. It misted so frequently that it was simply part of their daily lives. On this day, however, there was a great deal of activity in the bailey as the big portcullis began to crank open. Chains creaked as the gate slowly lifted to the approaching party.
It was a contingent from Seven Crosses, escorted by Tenner and Arlo. They’d gone all the way to Tiverton to collect precious cargo, which was now returning to Baiadepaura. Annalyla stood in the windows of her husband’s comfortable solar, watching the gate and knowing that, finally, the prize had arrived.
“My lady?”
Annalyla turned to the entry to the solar, seeing a knight standing there. He was new to Baiadepaura, having come all the way from Canterbury Castle last month. Sir Beaufort de Fira was young, with a crown of curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes that lit up his entire face. He was a handsome man and very kind, and Annalyla saw very quickly why Tenner thought so highly of the man. He was the consummate knight, talented and honorable. After ten months of command at Baiadepaura, Tenner had sent for his friend to come and serve with him.
Beau arrived as swiftly as if he’d traveled on angel’s wings.
“Come in,” she said pleasantly, beckoning the man. “They are just arriving now.”
Beau entered the solar, his focus on the scene out in the bailey as a large escort, including a fortified carriage, entered the grounds.
“My God,” he breathed. “She’s really here. Tenner did it.”
Annalyla smiled at him. “Did you truly have any doubt?”
Beau shrugged. “Nay,” he said truthfully. “Not really. I know that Ten can be convincing when he wants to be, but…”
Annalyla finished for him. “But the earl is protective over Lady Jane and you had your doubts that he would permit her to come and visit,” she said. When he nodded, she laughed softly. “Never fear, Beau. Once Tenner de Velt sets his mind on something, it is
as good as done. In this case, he wanted to bring Lady Jane to you since her father banished you from Seven Crosses. He has spoken of it to me before, many times. He said what happened between you was a true tragedy.”
Beau nodded, though his attention was riveted to the carriage that was now coming to a halt. “I kept telling myself that what happened was God’s will,” he said. “Everything that happened, it was simply meant to happen that way. But the truth was that I was resentful. And I was miserable.”
Annalyla looked at the young knight for a moment, seeing the utter hope and delight on his face. It was so very sweet to see, a love story that would, perhaps, know an ending other than the one Ivor had condemned them to. Turning away from the window, she rubbed at her enormously swollen belly as she headed over to the nearest chair, settling herself down upon it.
Heavy with child, Tenner had forbidden his wife from traveling to Seven Crosses to retrieve Lady Jane FitzJohn. Arlo and Maude had gone instead, as Maude had known Lady Jane before her accident. Annalyla understood, of course, but she’d missed him terribly in the five days that he’d been gone. A very short separation, but when one was in love, any amount of separation seemed like an eternity.
She could see that very same sentiment on Beau’s face.
His separation from Jane had been an eternity.
“Beau,” she said hesitantly. “You know… you are aware that Lady Jane is not the woman you once knew, don’t you? What I mean to say is… I know you are excited to see her, but I am told the injury changed her dramatically.”
Bay of Fear (Battle Lords of de Velt Book 3) Page 20